Living in the shadow of fear

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Correspondence: Dr. Gurinder Bedi, Senior Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, Sector B, Pocket 1 Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 110070. E-mail: gbedi24@aol.com doi: 10.1016/S0976-5662(11)60046-5 position while putting a femoral prosthesis in, has most likely lost his argument not to mention his composure. The case will eventually finish, but what he really ends up with is an immense amount of ill-will from his co-workers and a frozen group of people who will eventually never endeavor to help him out in a messy situation or point out any obvious flaws when the time comes. No suggestions will be forthcoming, no extra assistance will be made to ease the job, no nurturing of a fertile mind will happen in that kind of environment. Indifference will eventually creep in with a “WHY SHOULD I BOTHER?” attitude. With a lack of environment which allows praise and criticism in balanced amount, no progress or new learning will take place. The payback will happen when the same people will subsequently build a culture akin to this with their own junior colleagues when they are in a position of authority. Then there are also familiar cases of postgraduate students cringing to finish their thesis on subjects in which they have no interest but have been told by their guides to do so for various reasons. The threat of thesis rejection looms large on their heads everyday if they annoy their guides. All these are very common scenarios. Why should a postgraduate student not pick up a thesis of his or her choice, obviously in consultation with the guide? The lack of professional appreciation is endemic in our culture. The appreciation that a one time resident can be respected as a colleague seems totally lost. We are possibly fortunate that things are improving in our region but from tales coming from other regions we have a long way to go. It is time we realized that not having a scissor which cuts well, not having another bone clamp or not having a broad dynamic compression plate is not the fault of the scrub nurse. These issues need to be discussed at the time of indenting material the next time material is being procured, and submitting lists of instruments well in time so that the issues are not repeated. Have the courage to raise these issues with the owner of the nursing home or the director of your hospital rather than the poor nurse who has no say in the matter. Why do we keep hauling up residents for system failure in a hospital establishment, instead of addressing the administrative staff? Unless we realize this and start appreciating other professionals and the job they do, we will never build a good work environment which is mutually beneficial to all of us. It is neither befitting nor appropriate that any person coming to work should be abused either verbally or physically. Is it not reasonable to expect that they be granted a certain standard of respect and work appreciation, which they deserve? Being a junior should not put any person at a disadvantage or make them vulnerable to abuse. It is up to the team leaders, Senior Consultants, Heads of Departments to condone such behavior and if not able to, then there should be another option for the victim to get redressal. In most cases it just involves discussion with the perpetrator. If there is a valid reason for reprimanding an individual, it needs to be done in a civilized manner, and definitely not by shouting at them in the middle of a ward. We must develop the confidence in our colleagues to deliver a certain level of Living in the shadow of fear